We were very pleased to receive our copy of 21 Stories of Transition which has been put together by Rob Hopkins in the lead up to COP21 (the 21st “Conference of the Parties”) climate change talks in Paris. Transition Streets in Australia was one of the stories – one of only three from the Southern Hemisphere.

Earlier this year I spoke with Colin MacGregor who is researching Transition initiative in Australia and the UK and commented that it sometimes feels like Transition Newcastle isn’t really doing all that much and that we aren’t all that successful. Colin responded that lots of groups said this, but from his perspective they were doing great things.

I think this is the power of 21 Stories of Transition – it tells the stories of ordinary people who are out there helping to create the change we need to see in the world. What I love about the Transition movement is that it isn’t just a protest movement; it doesn’t put it’s energy into what is wrong with the world. Like other strengths-based approaches to working with communities it addresses the challenges we face by building on the strengths of communities, the passions of individuals and visions of what could be.

In the following short video, Rob introduces the book.

There are stories like the Million Miles Project that aimed (successfully) to cut car travel by one million miles in Black Isle Scotland, cooperatives being formed in Luxembourg, a repair cafe in Pasadena, a free store in Pennsylvania and a commune in France.

In the introduction to the stories, Rob suggests there are 10 threads that run through the 21 stories:

Reclaiming the economy

Starting Local

Sparking entrepreneurship

Re-imagining work

Stepping up

Crowd-sourcing solutions

Supporting each other

Re-skilling

Nurturing a caring culture

Telling sticky stories

These thread help create an inspiring book (well worth reading). You can buy the book or read about them on the Transition Network webpage. They are releasing one story a day in the lead up to COP21.

In preparing the story, we were asked to include a message to COP21. Here’s my message:

It’s time. We cannot keep leaving our children to respond to the challenges of climate change. It’s time to stop worrying about short-term interests and to start focusing on long-term impacts. It’s time to show real leadership in the transition to a low carbon, more sustainable future.

If you liked this post please follow my blog (top right-hand corner of the blog), and you might like to look at:

Welcome to Sustaining Community

Families, community engagement and environmental sustainability – for parents, students, practitioners and anyone who wants to make a difference. By Graeme Stuart from the Family Action Centre at the University of Newcastle. The views are my own.